Five AAUW Women You Didn’t Know Were on Postage Stamps

March 30, 2017

From Hollywood to Congress, lack of female representation is a huge deal. In some areas, women are slowly but surely making progress towards fair representation: For example, in just a few years our nation will have the first woman pictured on a U.S. monetary bill in a century.

Our postage stamps have featured women since 1893, when Queen Isabella of Spain was given her own U.S. postage stamp. Since then women from Pocahontas to Marilyn Monroe have had their likenesses appear on stamps. The U.S. Post Office released its new commemorative stamp of civil rights champion Dorothy Height just last month.

Height is one of more than a dozen women involved with AAUW who have appeared on postage stamps through the years. Here’s a peek at a few more:

1. Jane Addams (1940)

Addams was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, which she received for her work in social services and humanitarianism. She founded the Hull House in Chicago and served as the first president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

2. Eleanor Roosevelt (1963, 1984, 1998)

Roosevelt, who was awarded an AAUW honorary membership in 1929, was so accomplished we named an award after her. Notably, she implemented New Deal programs, worked with the United Nations, and was also a lifelong advocate for women’s equality.

3. Frances Perkins (1980)

A longtime AAUW member, Frances Perkins served as secretary of labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was an early champion of women’s issues in the workforce, advocating for shorter hours and higher wages.

4. Rachel Carson (1981)

Biologist and author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson was a 1956 AAUW Achievement Awardee. Her work sparked the modern environmental movement and paved the way for activists and scientists alike to pick up the torch.

We’d love to see more AAUW women represented on our nation’s postage stamps — so we’ll be choosing one woman from AAUW’s rich history to nominate for a commemorative stamp. Vote for your stamp candidate below!

Which AAUW member do you want to see on the next stamp? Click through to vote!

About the Nominees

Dorothy Ferebee

Ferebee was ahead of her time as a dedicated
advocate for women’s and civil rights.